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The digital deadbolt beeped, a sharp electronic chord slicing through the frozen silence of the kitchen at 6:15 AM. / Chapter 10 / 19

Chapter 10

Back at my penthouse office, Darcy dropped a thick manila folder onto my desk with a satisfying thump.

"The final liquidation of the Lake Shore Drive condo is complete," Darcy announced, kicking off her Louboutin heels and sinking into the velvet armchair. "After paying off the remaining legal fees, government filing costs, and the cleanup crew, the remaining funds have been completely redirected into a new venture."

I leaned back, resting my chin on my intertwined fingers. "Which is?"

"The Sloan Foundation for Financial Independence and Domestic Abuse Recovery," Darcy grinned fiercely. "We are officially launching next Monday, funded entirely by the seized assets of Julian and Fiona Vance. How’s that for sweet poetic justice?"

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I stepped past the door frame, my leather shoes clicking softly against the linoleum floor.

I stepped past the door frame, my leather shoes clicking softly against...

The screech of the chopper’s rotor blades vibrated directly through the freezing slate beneath my spine. The blinding white vortex of snow kicked up by the downdraft burned my eyes, but I forced my lids open, locking my gaze onto the amber visor of the rescue specialist dropping out of the sky.

The screech of the chopper’s rotor blades vibrated directly through the...

Daniel stepped toward the bed, his polished leather shoes squeaking against the pristine hospital linoleum. He reached for the tray table, his fingers brushing the edge of the papers. His voice was low, coated in a practiced, corporate calm that made my stomach churn worse than the spiked blood pressure.

Daniel stepped toward the bed, his polished leather shoes squeaking agai...

A genuine, radiant smile broke across my face—the first real, unfiltered smile I had felt in half a decade.

"Make sure Julian’s corporate prison canteen account gets a monthly delivery of generic saltine crackers," I murmured smoothly. "Just to keep the tradition alive."

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